C17 Chapter 17

I thought of giving her a ride but then I thought better, that was how she met Geoffrey, she would be weary of me.

I was proud of her, how strong she was, and I hardly even got a cut as a child.

I drove to the coffee shop to get some coffee.

“Hi, good evening." The lady behind the counter said to me.

“Hi, can I get plain black coffee."

“With milk?."

“Yes please."

“Sugar?." She said biting her lips with a smile.

I laughed.

“Yes, please."

“I'll be back in a jiffy." She said almost cockily and left, she came back in a very sort while with a hot cup of coffee.

I paid and I took my coffee to one of the tables.

I didn't want to go home, not yet, I wanted to wait a bit.

I was looking around when I caught someone staring at me, it was Ará.

Her green siren eyes pierced through mine, I held her stare and I watched her turn away.

I took my cup and I decided to leave, everything got uncomfortable after I saw her.

“I didn't take you to be the type that ran.“ she said to me as I was opening my car.

“What?."

“I'm sorry "

“You're late."

" Still, I'm apologizing.“

" You should have done it a decade ago.“ I said to her and I shut the door, I drove out of the parking lot and towards my house, I drove past her house and I took a look at how close our houses were.

When I got home, I watched some TV until I fell asleep on the couch.

I woke up because I felt cold, when I look to the time, it was past midnight.

I went to my bed and I fell, my head felt lazy and I felt too drowsy.

The next time I woke up, I woke to beeping, from the telephone beside my bed.

My eyes shone like saucers, I had forgotten to close the curtains beside my bed, the sunlight that came from the window was almost blinding.

The beeping was annoying and urging.

I picked up the phone without looking to see who might be calling.

“Hello." I said into the phone.

“Darwin." I heard the voice, icy cool and straight.

“Mark."

“It's been a long time cousin."

“What do you want?."

“I don't really want anything, I was just checking to see if you were alive, you just left, without a trace, well, you didn't really leave without a trace, because I found out a lot of things, you're doing pretty well for yourself. There were some things you were supposed to hear, but, since you left, there's no point in dragging the matter. “ He said and stopped, I didn't talk back, but I knew that he knew I was still on the line, he knew I wasn't going to end the call yet. So he continued talking.

" You were excluded from the will, and also, you were supposed to be fired from your job in Mr Anderson's company, it was just a matter of time before they announced it to you, I hope you run your company very well, you've always been a spoilt brat, but, you were always good at running companies, let's see how determined you are to succeed and let's see how you do it without help from your family, I see that you didn't add your first name and your last name to your company 's name, it's as if you're running from your own self, you're running from your own name. “

I still kept my words to myself. But my patience was wearing thin, I wouldn't last another minute hearing Mark beat about the bush.

" We miss you though, your mum and your dad, your dad thinks he's doing the right thing and your mum thinks he's under a spell, you have a lovely family, and you've always been in the middle of all the bullshit, I wouldn't lie to you I'm proud, I'm proud that you escaped, and I'm also very surprised, you didn't seem like the type to disobey, you always went where they told you to go, always visited mum and dad on Saturdays, always drove far up north, up the hills just to please those ungrateful people, if I hadn't seized an opportunity for myself, God knows where I would have been, family is nothing for them, can you imagine, your father left his own son, without a dime, without thinking twice about the welfare of him and his mother, With all the money he has, why wouldn't they be angry, their legitimate son fly in private jets, got to attend the most exquisite schools, got to go on tours and visit very important people in the country, and beyond, Darwin, I'm proud that you finally found your place in the world, without the help of your parents, if they ask, I'll tell them you're just a frigging prodical son and you'll be back begging on your knees but I wouldn't be the other son, who didn't get anything, I wouldn't ask, why the wayward son came back and was fed and clothed while I, the loyal son, wasn't given a dime, no, I'm getting for myself and Hensley is also getting for himself, everybody's happy, the lawyers are happy, the board of directors, everybody, if you came back home, you wouldn't even recognize all of us because we have fattened, why wouldn't we when the Sun, which is you, has made way for the other stars to be born, I literally called you this morning to gloat, but I'm ending up congratulating you, Darwin, congratulations and also, thank you, for your kindness. “

With that the line went dead, it beeped a few times, I dropped the telephone in it's place, I let out the breath that I had been holding for a long time.

I stood up and I looked out the window, I looked at the clouds and then at Ará's house, I made up my mind to go to see her this morning, she had apologized to me, it was time to forgive her.